North Carolina: Equal Parts Business and Charm

North Carolina is home to one of the largest contingents of German subsidiaries and related companies in the nation. The cultural life and the economy in this beautiful and prosperous region are unmet. Also, the infrastructure of the state is expansive and well connected. 14 interstates, four international airports, seven local airports, eight highways, two inland ports, and connections to the intracoastal Waterway.

North Carolina came of age in the rural south, primarily based on a traditional economy of tobacco plantations, furniture and textile manufacturing. These days, it is powered by international innovation in knowledge-based fields. The state fosters advanced manufacturing, software and information technology, biopharmaceuticals and financial services. Tobacco crops, while still existent, have been edged out by wine-making and bio fuels.

University-based research fuels the innovation and development of technologies, while government funding, a growing population and an educated workforce put the technology into practice. There is also a massive aerospace industry, with most of the world’s largest aeronautical companies owning facilities in the state. North Carolina has four international airports, 74 publicly-owned airports and 300 privately-owned airports. The largest of these airports is in Charlotte, with non-stop daily connections to international destinations.

Germany has been a long-time investor in North Carolina, currently creating more than 30,000 jobs there. Of the 192,200 jobs in the state created by foreign-owned affiliates, 16 percent of them are with German-owned affiliates. German companies and subsidiaries own roughly $436 million in North Carolina real estate. There are roughly 236 German subsidiaries in the state, ranging in size from only a few personnel to mega-companies.